Rice Lake, Minnesota

Population

Growing. Up 1.5% since 2020.

4,169

people, the 177th-largest of Minnesota's cities and towns.

Census Population Estimates, 2025. Rank among Minnesota's cities and towns computed by the Almanac. Sources: Census Population Estimates

The workday

9 in 10 jobs here go to people who live somewhere else.

87.6%

of 1,016 jobs located in Rice Lake are filled by in-commuters.

Census LEHD LODES, 2023. Sources: Census LEHD LODES

Rent

Median rent is up 16% since the 2015–2019 survey, before inflation.

$1,305

a month. Minnesota's median is $1,280.

Census ACS 5-year, 2020-2024 (latest), with earlier 5-year windows. Survey estimates for a place this size carry wide margins of error. Sources: Census ACS 5-year

The seam

Cross one tract line and median rent doubles.

A $2,391 gap between neighbors, the sharpest rent edge between adjacent tracts in St. Louis County.

• $1,110 Tract 2
• $3,501 Tract 6

Census ACS 5-year, 2020-2024, adjacent tracts compared by the Almanac. Tract estimates carry wide margins of error. Sources: Census ACS 5-year

Room to build

The median rent sits inside what local wages can carry.

$1,038–$1,557

is the monthly rent range local workforce wages support.

• $1,305 median

Supportable rent computed by the Almanac from 2023 source wage data. Median rent: Census ACS 5-year, 2020-2024. Sources: Computed by the Almanac, Census ACS 5-year

Building

Most of the housing here is older than 2000.

• 81% of all homes were built before 2000

Census ACS 5-year, 2020-2024. Survey estimates for a place this size carry wide margins of error. Sources: Census ACS 5-year

Units needed

Closing the gap would add 0.1–0.6% to the 1,801 homes here.

1–10

is the estimated number of missing housing units, from the lowest to the highest of three estimates.

Range computed by the Almanac from 2023 jobs and household data, using three demand models: 1% of jobs located here, 1% of renter households, and a rate by town size applied to renters. The low end is the lowest of the three and the high end the highest. It is an estimate, not a count. Sources: Computed by the Almanac

Home value

A median home costs 6% less than Minnesota's.

$309,600

median home value in Rice Lake.

• $309,600 Rice Lake
• $329,300 Minnesota
• $332,700 U.S.

Census ACS 5-year, 2020-2024. Survey estimates for a place this size carry wide margins of error. Sources: Census ACS 5-year